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Me personally, I would buy ( a new or refurbished ) one for the sole reason that I would not have to worry about compatibility issues between hardware components itself or between hardware components and the OS.
I can understand the challenge and the satisfaction you get from actually building one.

Cheers ... McBie

A computer lets you make more mistakes faster than any invention in human history - with the possible exceptions of handguns and tequila.
The bitterness of poor quality remains long after the sweetness of low price is forgotten.

It's possible to "build" a Mac Pro...if you're using all genuine Apple parts. Of course all you're really doing is gathering together & reassembling the parts that some other folks disassembled.

As far as whether to build a Mac Pro or get one from Apple. Well firstly the only Mac Pro you can currently get from Apple is a 2010 Mac Pro (the latest model)...and I can almost guarantee you...you're not going to find all the parts you need to assemble one of these.

Most likely...the only Mac Pro you're going to be able to build/reassemble would be an older model Mac Pro (which Apple no longer sells).

So the decision to build a Mac Pro or get one from Apple is not really a equivalent situation...since if you build one it will be older (less performance) than if you buy a new one (newer model).

Generally speaking with the cost of genuine Apple parts (I'm talking used parts from Mac Pro's that someone else disassembled)...it will cost you more to build/reassemble a Mac Pro...then it would cost to purchase the same exact model Mac Pro fully assembled.

HTH,

- Nick

- Too many "beachballs", read this: Beachballs- Computer seems slower than it used to? Read this for some slow computer tips: Speedup- Almost full hard drive? Some solutions. Out of Space- Apple Battery Info. Battery

I was thinking that someone would say it would cost me about the same amount of money to build from scratch as to buy a Mac Pro from Apple. I will buy for Apple.

Thanks for the feedback everyone.

If you were indeed trying to build a comparable Mac Pro as that is available from Apple currently, AND you happen to find all the parts for it somewhere, then the price difference will most likely be a wash except with you having spent a TON more hours trying to find all the pieces..

But as Nick said, the parts that are readily available are usually from older Mac Pro's that don't really compare to what Apple is selling right now..

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